With offices scattered throughout Southern California and along the Central Coast, Life Steps Foundation provides a spectrum of services to developmentally and physically disabled people spanning from early childhood into adulthood. Their goal is to strengthen individuals through independence and personal empowerment.

Through its many programs, disabled participants are granted the opportunity to lead productive, independent lives.

Early intervention programs target infants and toddlers up to three years of age with in-home and center-based services that encourage development and strengthen the relationship between parents and the disabled child, according to Beth Lin, Life Steps Foundation Infant Division Project Manager.

Customized Plans for Each Child
Infants and toddlers displaying developmental delays or those who are at risk for such delays benefit from personalized programs designed to maximize his/her potential. Each child's cognitive, motor, communication and social skills are taken into account, and the result is a custom-tailored plan unique for that child.

"We use a checklist to do an assessment of the child's needs," said Lin. "It involves using the child's prognosis and current functioning level to help assess the progress we want to see in them over a period of six month."

With the help of educators, speech pathologists, physical therapists and nutritionists, Life Steps specialists teach parents how to achieve their child's highest potential. In-home services offer a more personalized approach to therapy.

Getting Older, Getting Hipper
As a child gets older, Life Steps offers a different program known as Getting Hip which focuses on the development of social integration skills for kids and teens with disabilities including mental retardation, cerebral palsy and autism. The participants ranging from eight to 22 years of age are grouped according to their age and ability.

"We teach the kids very basic skills like introductions, greetings, eye contact, personal space, those kinds of concepts," explained Bob Turner, Getting Hip Program Coordinator. "We also work with kids to help them with problems that come up in their lives like how to deal with fear and rejection or bullies or teasing. We try to give them strategies to cope. We also teach kids pedestrian skills. We take them on walks in the community and teach them how to be safe, how to cross the street."

Turner described one participant's progress in Getting Hip as a testament to the program's success. When the teen first arrived, "he was bouncing off the wall and didn't know how to function in a group," said Turner. "But after five years we've have a lot of success with that person. He's able to sit in class, have a conversation. He's able to function in life. He has a job…and the fact that he can function on a job leads to the success of the program."

Turner emphasized that for many, developing such skills takes years of training and support.

"I think the longer people stay in the program the more success we have. I think sometimes parents who have children with behavior problems put them in a program and they think that will solve all their problems and these kids don't have problems that can be solved overnight. It takes repetition and a long time," said Turner.

Services Across the Lifespan
And precisely because it takes a long time, even, for some, a lifetime of continuous learning and therapy, Life Steps offers services across the life span. In fact, the foundation's Adult Services projects give individuals with disabilities an alternative to living in an institution. And because Life Steps provides services in a number of languages, including Spanish, participants and their families feel comfortable to express themselves and participate.

Such projects include the Supported Living Services that help participants make informed choices about their lifestyle. Adults with developmental disabilities learn independent livings skills and receive habilitation services with the help of in-home educators who help them develop relationships and contribute to their community, as well as provide them with personal support.

The adult projects operate on the belief that people have the right to choose where and how they would like to live.

Although Supported Living Services are available in all areas Life Steps serves, one particular service is exclusive to Long Beach in Southern California. The Harbor Friendship Center provides a venue for social interaction and leisure activities, as well as a number of classes ranging from computer training and nutrition to arts and crafts and aerobics.

Participants with limited mobility benefit from the Rose Street Transitional Living program in San Luis Obispo. Rose Street serves adults who use wheelchairs and serves as a transitional home for those preparing to live on their own for the first time. Participants receive training in daily living skills that will prepare them for independent living.

Life Steps Foundation prides itself in giving people with disabilities the opportunity to grow and function as productive members of society. For Turner, who works with teens and young adults, it's seeing them develop these life skills that make it all worth it.

"The thing I'm most proud of is when they can be safe in the community," he said.

Life Steps not only offers services to the disabled, but also helps those impacted by drug addictions, abuse or economic hardship. Low-income seniors and the elderly also benefit from services.

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